Infused & Aromatic Cigars: Love Them or Hate Them, They’re Here to Stay
Infused and aromatic cigars are rapidly rising in popularity. One of the most highly regarded—and possibly the best-selling—infused cigars in the world is the Acid Kuba Kuba. Many cigar brands are now infusing some of their sticks with premium spirits, such as Rabbit Hole bourbon. The folks over in Kentucky even have the Gentlemen Blanton’s cigar, infused with—you guessed it—Blanton’s bourbon!
With the growing trend of infused cigars, there are some key tips and rules to keep in mind. Whether you’re posting your humidor setup on Instagram or Reddit, these will help you look more like an aficionado and less like a noob.
Storage
I enjoy an infused or aromatic cigar once in a while. I’m a big fan of the Rocky Patel Java and Drew Estate Sweet Jane. But before I knew better, I used to store them in my regular humidor alongside my non-infused cigars. Big mistake.
When I grabbed a regular cigar that had been near or touching an infused one, I noticed that the flavor had transferred. This is called flavor bleeding, and it can turn a great infused cigar into an infestation in your humidor!
How to Prevent Flavor Bleeding
The easiest way to avoid this is to store your infused and flavored cigars separately from your traditional cigars. You have a few options:
- Keep them in a separate humidor
- Store them in a tupperdore
- Use a sealed bag or container within your humidor
As long as they’re stored separately, your regular cigars will maintain their original flavors, and your infused cigars will stay fresh.
Smoking Infused Cigars: Managing Expectations
Now that you’re storing them correctly, it’s time to enjoy them. You spent your hard-earned money on these cigars, so you should be able to sit down and fully enjoy them. But before you do, there’s something you should understand:
The Flavor Dilemma
Just because a cigar is labeled chocolate, coffee, or vanilla doesn’t mean it will taste like that throughout the entire smoke.
For example, I kept buying Tatiana Chocolate cigars. I loved them! In the first third, the chocolate flavor was strong and enjoyable. But once I hit the second third, the chocolate notes disappeared, and I was left with a harsher tobacco flavor. It tasted more chemical than I liked.
Why? Because many of these artificial flavorings are chemically derived. Once you burn through the infused outer layers, you’re left with the underlying tobacco and residual chemical flavors.
To avoid this, I’ve started infusing my own cigars at home, allowing me to control the flavor without the harsh, artificial aftertaste.
Dealing with Cigar Snobs & The Purists
When you start smoking infused cigars, you’ll inevitably encounter The Purist—a cigar snob who will tell you infused cigars are for beginners, women, or “beta males” who can’t handle real tobacco.
Forget these guys.
They didn’t buy your cigar. They aren’t paying for your hobby. These are probably the same people who insist Buffalo Trace is the only bourbon worth drinking and that you must drink it neat. Their opinions do not matter.
At the end of the day, the best cigar is the one you enjoy. Whether it’s an Acid, Diesel Rabbit Hole, or a Cohiba Behike, the only thing that matters is you relaxing with your preferred stick and enjoying the moment.
As I always say:
The answer is always a cigar—no matter what that cigar is.
Final Thoughts
Infused cigars are here to stay, and whether you love them or hate them, they offer a unique and enjoyable smoking experience. Just store them properly, manage your expectations, and ignore the cigar snobs. Smoke what you love and enjoy the experience.
Logan Huddleston
Hello, my name is Logan Huddleston. I own and operate To Cigar, which provides cigar and alcohol content on all major social media platforms. My goal is to connect with and engage other GenZers to help them fall in love with cigars and cigar culture. I do reviews, memes, recipes, pairings, pretty much anything that connects with my audience. Most nights, I can be found with a cigar in one hand and a good drink in the other. Life brings us many questions, but I’m fond of saying, the answer is always To Cigar!
